By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter
Reported antisocial behaviour has fallen by 10 per cent across Nottinghamshire over the past year – but other figures show vehicle crime, street drinking and aggressive begging have risen slightly.
The area’s latest Police and Crime Plan Performance Update has been published, providing crime figures from across the city and county, and assessing Notts Police performance.
The figures run until September 2024, and will be discussed at a Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Panel meeting at County Hall next Monday (November 18).
The panel, made up of local political leaders and experts, monitors the performance of the police force and Notts Police and Crime Commissioner Gardy Godden (Lab).
Figures show police-recorded antisocial behaviour incidents fell by just over 4.1 per cent in the three months before September, leading to a 11.2 per cent overall reduction in the last year across Notts.
The report says the downward trend has been partly achieved through targeted outreach in hotspot areas to help deter young people from getting involved in crime.
The Safer Streets programme, funded by the Home Office and deployed across several local authorities, has led to 26 new CCTV cameras, 19 lamps and a youth shelter being installed.
The new CCTV cameras in hotspots in Beeston were completed in September, with the youth shelter, including CCTV, being added at Coronation Park in Newark.
But slight increases in self-reported anti-social behaviour – involving incidents the public have not necessarily reported to the police – have also been highlighted in the Police and Crime Survey.
The survey is a direct poll of people used to estimate levels of crime which go unreported to police.
According to these figures, vehicle-related nuisance in Nottinghamshire rose 2.7 per cent, street drinking rose by 1.6 per cent and aggressive begging rose by 1.3 per cent over the previous year.
A pilot project called ‘Immediate Justice’ has made efforts in tackling antisocial behaviour – this initiative is led by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
This sees those caught committing low-level crimes made to repair the damage they inflicted on communities and victims – instead of facing court – and the aim is for work to start from 48 hours after their offence.
It involves litter picking, graffiti removal or even work in local community centres.
More than 303 people have gone through the scheme, with one example being works to tidy the Ladybrook war memorial in Mansfield, involving people trimming hedges, litter picking and jet washing.
Labour’s Gary Godden was elected as Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner in May 2024, replacing Conservative Caroline Henry.
The panel will discuss the report and further updates on crime and crime reduction during Monday’s meeting.
